Excavator.



No. 870,943. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907. J. P. PARRELLY.

EXGAVATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 6, 1907.

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wltnesses. z Inventor A ARaMQl w- W No. 870,943. PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907. JUP. FARRELLY.

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PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

J. P. FARRELLY.

EXOAVATOR.

APPLICATION 11.31: mu. 6, 1907.

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Inventor WItnesses. MSMQ rnz NORRIS PETERS co. WASHINGTON n. c.

JAMES PETER FARRELLY, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

EXOAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed March 6, 1907. Serial No. 360,919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs PETER FARRELLY, of the city of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, contractor, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavators, more especially those adapted for digging sewers, cellars, or the like, and the object of the invention is to devise a durable, eflicient, and comparatively cheap machine, which when operating cuts or slices the earth, in this wise being particularly adapted to clay or sandy soil.

The invention consists essentially of a lower platform carried upon trucks running on tracks, an elevated platform supported by posts from the lower platform, a cutting blade or spade operating in vertical guides, a threaded screw shaft extending vertically from the spade, a bevel wheel, centrally threaded on the shaft and supported on the elevated platform, pinions meshing with the wheel, a motive power, means for operating the pinions to allow for a forward or reverse movement of the bevel wheel and a conveyer supported by the lower truck and extending forwardly and downwardly towards the spade, the parts being arranged and constructed as hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved excavator, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my invention. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of my improved excavator, the out being in section. Fig, 4 is a horizontal, cross sectional view in the plane denoted by the line X X, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view through the spade.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is alower platform carried upon sets of trucks B 13, running on tracks 0 O. The position of the tracks is such that they are located one on either side of the ditch or sewer D which is being dug.

E is an elevated platform, supported by posts E directly above the forward end of the lower platform A. Centrally upon the plate E is secured a nut E through which passes a vertical screw shaft F, the said shaft may be cut with a double thread or square threaded, as shown, but it is to be understood whatever its thread, the nut is cut with a thread to correspond. A flange G is formed at the lower end of the shaft F to which is attached a cross piece G, by means of suitable bolts. The cutting blade or spade H is bolted to the under face of the block. The spade is tapered, the taper being all in the front, so that when descending into the cut the separated earth will be thrown forwardly.

Various forms of spades may be used, but I prefer to use that which is more particularly shown in Fig. 5.

The front, back and end faces, are formed from boiler plates H! H H bolted the one to the other, and reinforced centrally by cross stays I secured to the inner faces.

I is a temperal steel cutting edge, the said cutting edge is secured to the front and back faces of the spade proper by means of bolts I and which therefore may be easily removed for sharpening, or in case of breakage. The end plates H extend beyond the front face of the spade and have their lower edges sharpened in order that they may keep the side faces of the ditch smooth and practically vertical.

It will be understood that the function of the end plates is to trim or level up the side walls of the trench as the trench is being cut by the steel cutting edge I.

i J J are vertical guides of a channel bar cross section, secured at their lower ends to the platform A, and at their upper ends to the platform E.

J J are slide bars fastened to the side faces of the spade and extend vertically upwardly, being adapted to slide in the guideways J, J respectively. The guideways placed one on either side of the shaft l", the shaft and guides being directly in alinemcnt across the cut. In this way the spade cannot turn from its position when free from the earth. To further assure against turning I have placed a cross bar li between the guides, the said bar being bolted at K to the guideways. Centrally through the bar is an opening K for the shaft.

K is a key secured firmly in the bar and extending within a longitudinal slot K cut in the shaft.

L is a bevel wheel centrally threaded to it the shaft F, the said bevel bearing on the upper face of the nut E L L are horizontal shafts mounted in bearings, formed in standards L L secured to the platform.

M M are bevel gears, keyed on the inner ends of the shafts and designed to engage with the bevel wheel L. It is desirable to have the bearings for the shafts wide.

N is a boiler of any type, supported on the lower platform, its position being as close to the spade as possible, in order that its weight may be used to advantage in holding the trucks down when the spade is cutting N is a horizontal engine of any approved type, supported on the elevated platform, the said engine being connected to the boiler by means of a steam pipe N.

D1 is a fly wheel on the main shaft N of the engine. The main shaft extends parallel with the shaft L and is supported in a bearing O extending from the platform E.

O is a loose pulley on the shaft N and O is a similar pulley keyed to the shaft.

0 O are loose and tight pulleys on the shaft L the said pulleys being in alineinent with those on the shaft N P is a belt passing over the keyed pulleys.-

P is a foot lever for throwing the belt to the loose pulleys and vice versa.

Q is a second or auxiliary shaft supported in bearings Q Q extending upwardly from the upper platform E, the said shaft being practically a continuation of that N.

R is a male, and It the female member of a friction clutch, the male member being feathered on the shaft Q, and the female member keyed to the shaft N.

R is a lever adapted to throw the members of the clutch into engagement.

S is a pulley keyed to the outer end of the shaft Q, and S is a second pulley keyed on the shaft L S is a belt connecting the pulleys S S T is a conveyor of any approved type, the one shown being of that form consisting of an endless belt carrier '1", passing over sets of gear wheels T T T T supported on shafts U U, the upper shaft of which is carried by bearings U situated on the platform A, and the lower of which is carried in the ordinary side frames V of the conveyer.

W are arms supporting the extending end of the conveyer from the platform.

The conveyor forms no part of my present invention, it simply being employed as a means for taking the cut earth from the spade and carrying it rearwardly, where it is again thrown down on the sewer pipe, or such like, to the rear. The sewer pipe is laid as the trench is dug and the earth carried back as described serves to refill the trench.

1t will be noted that the pulleys O O, S S are proportioned so that when thrown into gear with the main shaft the speed of rotation of the pinion M is high, while that of M is low'. This is in order that the spade may be forced downwardly slowly, and be lifted from the cut quickly.

The general operation of the machine is as follows It is to be understood that previous to using my excavator, a certain portion of the out has to be made by hand digging. The spade in its normal position is above the level of the ground. The operator throws the belt P to the loose pulleys, and then moves the lever R 'till the members of the clutch engage. This rotates the pinion, and consequently the bevel wheel L, which in turn forces the shaft slowly downwardly causing the tip I to cut the earth as it descends. When the cut has been made the required depth the clutch is thrown open and the belt P thrown to the tight pulleys O O which rotates the pinion M giving to the bevel wheel a counter rotation to that which it previously had, thus lifting the spade. It will be noticed that, if no form of guide was used on the spade, as soon as it cleared the ground the tendency would be for the shaft F to rotate with the bevel wheel, instead of being screwed up or down within it. By providing belts for driving I obviate any chance of breakage, such as stripping the threads, etc., which might otherwise occur.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an excavator, the combination with the supporting platform, of a cutting blade, means for slowly forcing said blade downwardly and means for rapidly raising said blade.

2. In an excavator, the combination with the lower platform supported on trucks, and an upper platform supported from the rear end of the lower platform by posts, of a tapered cutting blade, having forwardly extending side faces, a vertical threaded shaft bolted to the cutting blade, the said shaft passing upwardly through the platform, a nut on the shaft, the said nut being secured rigidly to, and centrally on the upper platform, a bevel wheel on the shaft and bearing on the upper face of the nut, pinions mounted on the upper platform and meshing with the bevel wheel, a prime mover, means for throwing either of the pinions into active engagement with the main shaft of the prime mover, and means to prevent rotation of the shaft, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an excavator, the combination with the lower platform supported on trucks, and an upper platform sup ported from the rear end of the lower platform by posts, of a tapered cutting blade having forwardly extending side faces, a vertically threaded shaft bolted to the upper face of the blade and extending beyond the upper platform, a nut on the shaft the said nut being rigidly and centrally secured to the upper face of the elevated platform, a bevel wheel on the shaft and bearings on the upper face of the nut, stub shafts mounted in bearings, formed in standards secured to the upper platform, pinions on the shafts adapted to mesh with the bevel wheels, a prime'mover means for throwing the pinions, individually, into or out of engagement with the main shaft of the prime mover, and means to prevent rotation of the threaded shaft, as and for the purpose specified.

i. In a device of the class described; the combination with the threaded shaft, of a tapered cutting blade, said blade consisting of front, back and end faces, formed from boiler plates, riveted the one to the other, and reinforced centrally by cross braces, the said end plates extending forwardly and forming at the lower end cutting edges, and having further a sharpened hardened cutting edge bolted between the lower edges of the front and back faces, forming the cutting edge proper, as and for the purpose speci- 5. In an excavator, the combination with the supporting platform, of" a cutting blade and means for imparting a slow downward and a relating quick return movement thereto as and for the purpose specified.

G. In an excavator, the combination with a vertically reciprocating shaft, of a cutting blade secured to the lower end thereof and vertical guideways located to each side of the cutting blade designed to operate therein as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a device of the class described, a cutting blade having an inclined outer face and formed of sheet metal and having interior cross braces, and a cutting edge of hardened metal secured to the lower end thereof as and for the purpose specified.

8. In a device of the class described, a cutting blade formed of sheet metal and having an inclined outer face and having interior cross braces, a cutting blade of hardened metal secured to the lower end thereof and supplemental cutting blades extending forwardly from each side of the main blade as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, this 8th day of February 1907.

JAMES PETER FARRELLY.

Witnesses M. A. SoMEnvILLE, GERALD S. RoxBURGH. 

